Consumer group’s ’super complaint’ over surcharge madness

Enough is enough is the message from consumer watchdog Which? as they lodged a ’super complaint’ with the Office of Fair Terading against surcharges on debit and credit card payments.

Details of the ’super complaint’ include the claim that the charges are ’unjustifiable and increasingly widespread.’

The consumer body said customers often only become aware of the charges at the last moment, and that they are often in excess of the actual cost to the retailer of processing the transaction.

The ’super complaint’ also identified some of the worst culprits. Foxton charged one customer £25 to pay a £5,000 deposit on a flat. Elsewhere, train ticket booking site Trainline adds £3.50 to pay by credit card.

Which? claims the worst offenders to be low-cost airlines, with Ryanair charging a total of £40 to pay by credit of debit card for a return trip for a family of four.

Chief executive to the consumer champions, Peter Vicary-Smith, said: ‘Consumers are really fed up with paying excessive card charges. So far, over 40,000 people have pledged their support for our campaign to bring these to an end.

‘Low-cost airlines are some of the worst offenders, but excessive card surcharges are becoming ever more widespread, with everyone from cinemas and cabs to hotels and even some local authorities getting in on the act.’